Disaster averted in UAE house roof collapse

Two children in 20-member family slightly hurt in incident

By

Staff

PublishedWednesday, August 22, 2012

A disaster was averted when a ceiling of a shabby house in Fujairah collapsed on an Emirati family of 20 while they were having their dinner at night, slightly injuring two children, a newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Its owner blamed authorities for the incident, saying they have turned deaf ears on his repeated pleas to provide him with a temporary home so he can rebuild his house, the Arabic language daily Alkhaleej said.

The family members have just gathered for their dinner at around 9.00 pm on Monday when a large part of the ceiling in the sitting room and a massive fan collapsed on their heads, the paper said.

Reem, 4, and Rinad, 2, were slightly injured and taken to hospital while the other family members escaped unscathed.

“I have spent much money on maintenance of this house which is now more than 35 years old.” Said Hassan Al Aridi, the children’s father.

“I have asked the competent authorities in the emirate to provide me with a safe house so I can reconstruct my own house but no one listened to me.